


Mother Was In Violet

by harpybones



Series: Of Humans and Monsters [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, Asgore is a great dad protect him, Chara and Asriel are only mentioned, Character Death, Child Death, Childhood Trauma, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Secrets, Flashbacks, Gaster does his best, Gaster is a good guy i promise, Gen, Good W. D. Gaster, Human-Monster War (Undertale), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Asgore Dreemurr/Toriel, Only mentioned though, Parent Asgore Dreemurr, Parent Toriel (Undertale), Parent W. D. Gaster, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Sans and Papyrus were humans, Scientist W. D. Gaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2019-09-19 14:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17003205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harpybones/pseuds/harpybones
Summary: After leaving the underground, Sans has memories about life on the surface. He remembers things from a point of view he is unfamiliar with. Memories of a child, a brother from a different father, and a mother with no love in her heart.Sans was never sure what to do with these memories.Until, one day, he was.He doesn't remember his own name, he doesn't remember his brother's name, and he certainly doesn't remember HER name, but he remembers rainy days, loneliness, selflessness, pain and moments that left marks on his and his brother's bones forever.(In which Sans tells his and Papyrus' childhood to an audience who would listen.)(Originally called "Their Tale" and posted in 2016.){MY OLDEST STORY. WILL REWRITE SOON.}





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took this story along with Mad Scientist of Ebott City to revise them. I apologize to those that actually enjoyed the stories, but they're back up now, so you can enjoy them again.
> 
> (First few chapters are in the perspective of Sans.)

I loved space. I could stare at the sky for hours, just looking at the sky. Planets, stars, dimensions, all that good stuff. Astronomy is my favorite form of science. She was aware of that. She would often go to the bookstore and buy me tons of writings about astrology. I guess She thought it was interesting that her three-year-old son was already fascinated about worlds beyond ours. Guess she didn’t expect my intelligence and fascination with that stuff would be my own undoing. Maybe that was for the best.

 

It was late in December of 1994 when She snapped. I wasn’t quite sure what happened. I’m still not sure what happened. I thought we were happy, normal, y’know? But something was going on right in front of me, and I never knew. I peered through my door, watching them argue. “Crooked Tie” was standing outside in the driveway, while She stood at the front door. Crooked Tie had the brightest blonde hair I remember seeing, and blue eyes. He had a clean face and always dressed nicely, except he could never seem to keep his tie on straight. Crooked Tie was yelling at Her, about Her “addiction getting worse” and “not seeking help”.

 

The usual, but this time it was different.

 

“Look, I care about you, ----." He calmed a bit. "If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be telling you this. You can’t keep smoking, you can't keep drinking,-”

 

She cut him off, only to say, “I already told you was trying, -----!”

 

“Well, you’re sure as hell not showing it!" I could tell he was getting sick of arguing about something so obvious. "If you go to rehab, I’ll watch ----- for you. You just have to make an effort at this, okay? I’ve always been on your side. I don’t plan on leaving unless you don’t try to help yourself get better.”

 

I’m guessing she got a restraining order, because he never came to get me, and she never cleaned up her act. She only got worse.

 

January of 1995 was my birth month. I don’t remember what day it was though, just that it would be my last party if you could call it that. It was just her and me. She cut contact with her siblings and friends after Crooked Tie left. She made me a small cake, sang to me, and gave me a few gifts. I think that was the last time she had a real smile


	2. Fake Smiles

     In February, she managed to find someone new. He had chocolate brown hair and brown eyes. He also had some gnarly cheekbones. We’ll call him Cheekbone. Cheekbone didn’t say much while I was around. He really just stayed around Her. That’s all he cared about.

     Whenever She became pregnant, Cheekbone stayed out more. He never helped her with anything, he never offered to do anything. The only thing he did was bring money in the house. Less money than what Crooked Tie did. Eventually, he finally said he was leaving. I wasn't surprised. Cheekbone up and left, while She was screaming out the door for him not to. I heard every word She was saying in my room. In March, He was born. Born with no one to call a father. She told me to watch Him while she looked for a job.

     She became more aggressive after her “snap”. She threw things, broke plates and yelled when I would ask what was wrong. She became a heavier drinker and chain smoked until she couldn't breathe. She even started taking pills she got from people I didn't know. At that age, I didn't understand the kind of pain she was going through. I didn't understand her at all. She needed support. She needed help. She needed everything her son couldn't give. She needed everything that her husband was too busy to notice. She had a story of her own, but had no one to tell it to.  
She told me to watch him while she went looking for a job. She found one, though I never knew what it was.

     While time went on, I stayed away from her a lot. She started throwing things at me if She didn't like something I said or something I did. It would often be a cup of something. Sometimes She would throw her hands at me. I would cry, and when I cried He would cry, then She’d tell me to shut him up. It was a cycle that happened almost every day.

  
     I considered myself his parent at this point. All the necessary chores of taking care of a baby fell to me. I fed him, changed his diapers, read him stories, teaching him to talk, while She would do whatever She did. I was growing tired of her and what she was doing. I wanted to confront her and tell her how I felt about her actions, but I was afraid. I still had hope, though, that she would realize. She still laughed and smiled at me, even though it was fake. I know it was. I wanted to help her. I was her son, after all. But I was afraid. I gave her fake smiles, too.


	3. Giving Up is Harder Than it Should Be

     She never made an attempt to get better. Her actions were controlling and blinding her. She would spit horrid words, venom from a viper’s jagged fangs. As if her claws digging into my shoulders every time she wanted my attention wasn't enough. Though, I was actually glad she was throwing all of that to me, and not Him. It was bad to even think of that.

I'm nowhere near as naïve as I was back then. I still had HP- er, hope. Hope is important, and pretty much every child has a lot of it. I did, and He did too, but...He was completely oblivious to her. I think He didn't even know she existed until he started walking and wandering around. He became smarter, curious, and brave very quickly.

 

In our situation, this wasn't exactly a good thing.

 

It's the year 2000. I'm 9 and He’s 5. His vocabulary was pretty large for his age. Impressive, I thought.

 

One night, she told Him to get her favorite glass from the kitchen table and bring it to the couch where she was sitting. The table in question was pretty high. He would have to climb to get it. He would also have to climb down, and that's difficult when you have a stupidly large wine glass in your other hand. While attempting to get down from the table, He dropped the glass. He was scared and stuttered out barely audible apologies. She called him over to the living room. She seemed pretty calm, until she rubbed her cigar out in his right eye.

  
Out of all possible things to happen, I wasn't there for that. I was in our room, doing my homework. I didn't hear that glass break, but I did hear the blood-curdling screams of my little brother. Everything was irrelevant at this point. Almost breaking the door, I stormed my way through the house to him.

 

“Shut him up. You're good at that, at least.”

 

The words fell from her tongue like poison. She didn't have to order me. Unlike her, I would have done it anyway. I lead him up to the upstairs bathroom.  
I tried to clean it the best I could. Ironically, we didn't have good medical supplies laying around. He cried and told me exactly how he felt. A fountain of haunting words that still ring in my head every time I look at that damned eye. All I see is the purple swelling around his brown eye, which was now cotton white. The darkened skin and crusted blood. The fresh holes that dotted the area, and the stench of burnt skin.

 

“-----! ----- it hurts!”

 

I told Him it was fine.

 

“Why did she do that to me!?”

 

I told him I didn't know.

 

“I thought she loved us. Why doesn't she love us, -----?”

 

I told him She still does.

 

“Why didn't you say anything?”

 

I told him I couldn't.

 

“Why don't you tell someone?”

 

I told him I couldn't.

 

“Why can't you say anything?”

 

I couldn't think of anything to say. Everything I was saying was a lie. I wanted to drop everything and run. I wanted to give up, but I wasn't ready. Not yet.

 

~~~

 

     I made a little patch for him to put over his wound. I stayed with him until he calmed a bit. When he finally looked in the mirror, he laughed and said he looked like a pirate. We played pirates for a little while.

Eventually, she called me downstairs. He flinched at her voice and grabbed onto my sleeve. I told him it was okay, and that I would come back.  
When I made it downstairs, she didn't face me. She took a puff of her cigar, and pushed some strands of her wavy black hair behind her ear. She then spoke in a monotone voice, signaling her hand to the pile of broken glass.

 

“Finally shut the siren up, eh? Clean it up, useless bastard.”

 

She used a plastic cup to swallow those pills this time.

 

I was done.

 

I gave up.

 

Part of me was relieved, but the other wondered why I waited until now. Maybe everyone has their own lines that need to be crossed until they finally give in to the reality of things. Maybe everyone can endure certain things that others can't when it comes to situations like these. She finally crossed my line.

 

I gave up.

 

And I've never felt so guilty.


	4. Where Your Legs Can't Carry You

     It was the end of December of the year 2000. The moon was full and shining through the open curtains, landing on his dark brown hair. He was sleeping on the bottom bunk of our bed, cuddling his robot plushie while surrounded with pieces of the puzzle he was working on. It wasn’t the strangest thing I’ve seen. The plush had the square-shaped body of your stereotypical robot. It was soft, and for some reason he liked it. It wasn’t that weird. I liked science. He liked puzzles and machines. It worked.

While he was sleeping, I was thinking. I had drawn out a map. The map, I believed, lead to a different city. However, the city was behind a giant mountain, Mt. Ebott. I tried to create a route around it. I believed I did. I heard the T.V downstairs shut off, signaling that the Viper was going to bed.

I rolled the paper up and stuffed it in my jacket pocket, then walked over to Him and tapped his shoulder.

He was sleeping deeply. I shook him gently. His eye opened slightly and turned to me.

“-----? What is it?”

“Is your eye feeling better?” I asked. I don't want him hurting. We have a long way to go.

“A little….why?” He still sounded sleepy. He was sleeping for about 3 hours. I can’t blame him.

“We’re going somewhere.”

I don’t want to tell him we’re running away. He never really told me how he felt about Her. He acted like he still trusted her. Even after what she did to him. I never understood that.

“Really? Just you and I?” He shouted a whisper. He seemed excited. The glow of the moon reflected off his eye, creating what looked almost like stars.  
I nodded. He clutched his plush and kicked on his shoes. He stopped for a moment.

“What about mommy?”

I opened the door and quietly stepped out. “Don’t worry about her.” He followed.  
We moved through the house swiftly, not making a single sound. Knowing her, she’s probably so wasted, the loudest gunshot wouldn’t wake her. I held back a laugh.

~

     It became dark while we ventured away. A large, thick cloud covered the moon. It seemed like it was going to snow again. I pulled my blue hood over my ebony hair. I then took out my flashlight. You must be prepared for every occasion, right? I was planning this months prior. I made sure I knew what was happening today. The snow wasn’t a surprise. I held his hand and guided him through the thick snow that already covered the ground. It was practically swallowing him. I decided to carry him on my back instead.

“-----......” He whined.

“Hm?”

“The side of the mountain looks really dark….”

“I know.”

“Should we move away from it?”

“We’ll be fine, -------.”

I was so focused on the map, I didn’t bother shining my light to where he was looking. I walked too close to the mountain. Little did I know, the mountain had a huge hole on the side of it. I was never told the story of Mt. Ebott. I didn’t know what was down there. And when poor foot placement and slippery ice mix, the only thing that comes to my mind is:

I’m going to die.

He’s going to die.

The last sound that ever crossed my ears was the sound of his screaming. A sound that I never wanted to hear again. That damn scream. I couldn’t see him, or anything at all, but I could picture his face, the last picture I saw.  
We met with the cold ground from a 40-foot fall.

We were dead.

Nothing soft saved us.


	5. A Different Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the story is in Gaster's perspective.

     Many years after the monsters were sealed underground, Dr. W.D Gaster, the Royal Scientist, began building the Core. The machine would power the entire Underground. Needless to say, it was his most impressive creation yet. Unfortunately, near the end of its development, the royal children passed away, resulting in a heated argument between Queen Toriel and King Asgore. Dr. Gaster was a witness. The three had been close friends on the surface, and an argument between any of them was rare. Toriel dropped her title as Queen and went to live in the Ruins, an area where Monster Kind settled for many years before moving further Underground. Caves and tunnels were dug in rock that served as shelter for them. At this point in time, only lesser monsters lived in them. Toriel moved back into her and Asgore’s abandoned home.

When the Core was complete, it was a success. Dr. Gaster received much deserved praise for his creation. Though he was happy with its success, something was still on his mind. Toriel. The Core had no access to the Ruins, and she was receiving no power there. He knew something had to be done, but with Asgore’s current state, Gaster cannot tell him what he wants to do. It would be too much. Gaster was a man of honor and trust, but doing things in secrecy was his specialty.

~

     “I’m very happy for you, Gaster. The development of the Core has made Monster Kind very happy again.” Asgore said, smiling while taking a sip of his tea.

Gaster sat his cup down. “Thank you, your majesty, really…” He paused for a moment to stretch. “But it is a bit late….I should be heading back to the lab…” Gaster stood up and pushed his chair under the table. Asgore did the same.

“I suppose you’re right, Gaster. Sleep well, my friend.” Asgore said softly.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Asgore really didn’t want Gaster to leave. First, both his children, then Toriel, Gaster was the only person left that was closest to him. He was his best friend.

Gaster exited the lab and began moving for the Ruins. The walk from Hotland to Snowdin was rather long, but he wasn’t in a hurry. With him, he carried the needed tools and materials to install pipes that transfer the energy from the Core to the Ruins.

When he arrived at the door, he used his magic to pull the door. The door didn't have any handles, which made it impossible to open it from this side. He stepped inside and headed for the stairs. “Toriel!” Gaster shouted, hoping to get her attention.

“....Gaster?” Toriel peers down from the top floor as the skeleton makes his way up the stairs. “Dr. Gaster, what are you doing here?” She asks. Toriel guides him to the living room and sits at the table. Gaster copies the action.

“I’ve come to inform you that the Core has been completed, and I will be extending it here to power your home.” He states.

Toriel smiles, but it fades. “Does...does Asgore know you-”

“No.” Gaster interrupted, bluntly. He stands and steps outside and begins taking measurements on the ground and cave walls.

“I really appreciate this, Gaster. You didn’t let that argument affect your ties with me, and I am thankful.” The scientist hums in response, clearly very concentrated in his work. Toriel knew this would take a while, and returned inside to prepare a meal for the both of them.

The installment took most of the late hours but was successful.

“Is it done?” Toriel called from inside her home.

“Complete and functional, your majesty.” Gaster said, smiling and removing his gloves.

“I’m so glad! Here, come inside, I’ve made us a meal!” Toriel cheerfully said.

Gaster followed her inside. He removed his coat and sat at the table while Toriel exited to the kitchen. When she returned, she set two plates on the table. It was a silent moment. Toriel had something on her mind but was debating on whether or not she should voice it.

“Why do you continue to stay there?” Gaster looked up at her, looking confused at her sudden question. “You agreed that declaring war on the Humans was foolish.”

Gaster sat his fork down. “I know you don’t like choosing sides, but…” Gaster leaned over and clutched Toriel’s hand, and looked her in the eyes.

“Toriel.” He said calmly. “This isn’t about choosing sides, my friend. I am the Royal Scientist. I devoted my life to assisting Monster Kind and serving my superiors until I dust. I do not hate Asgore. We both agreed that the decision was dumb, yes, but I have an important job. Now that the Core is out of the way, I have to focus on breaking the Barrier.”

Toriel looked down and sighed. “I..I understand. Wings, I-” She was cut off by a sudden and loud thud that seemed to ring all throughout the Ruins. Gaster let go of Toriel’s hand and looked out the window. Many of the lesser monsters were unsettled.

“I’ll see what happened.” Gaster voiced. He put his coat on and exited the house. Toriel watched silently.

    He ended up at the beginning of the Ruins, where the stairs to Ebott Cave used to be. The Monsters marched down them and settled here. Most of them were eroded and crumbled away now. Soon none will be left.

Gaster traveled deeper into the area and then noticed something. Blood splattered across the floor and walls. Pointed stones had torn clothing hanging from them. Snow from the winter on the surface fell to the cave floor and was stained red as well.

In the center of all this, lay the bodies of two Humans.

Their bodies were mangled. Bones protruded from their skin, meat and muscle were exposed on areas where rocks seemed to have scraped and stabbed their bodies. Dried blood stained the eldest ones face. Both of them died with an expression of pure horror.

Gaster almost gagged.

He turned around to think Their souls have yet to fully expose themselves. Gaster knew this meant that there was still time, but there was a problem.

Take the souls to Asgore, or help bury the humans with Toriel?

He was the Royal Scientist, and it was his job to assist Monster Kind. These souls mean everything to them. They are the key to breaking the Barrier and setting them free.  
He also respects Toriel’s belief that killing every human that comes isn’t the answer, and using their kind’s souls against them is a little much.

This decision could cost his friendship between both of them.


	6. A Promise to Your King

     The scientist could hear Toriel shouting her concerns from her home. Gaster slowly turned his head back to the humans. The souls have almost completely exposed themselves. There was little time to think now. He had to take the souls to Asgore. Gaster lifted the bodies with his magic and prepared to teleport. Toriel couldn’t know, she would freak. Though now, he had to prepare an excuse for leaving without notice, and figure out what to say to Asgore. Something else came to mind. What if...he could save them?

    Gaster arrived at the castle early after leaving the humans in the Lab. The king was still resting, he was sure. This was important, he supposed, and completely necessary for waking his majesty. Gaster slowly opened his bedroom door and summoned a spectral hand to tap Asgore on the shoulder. The king opened his eyes and leaned forward. He gave Gaster a questioning look.

“Your majesty, my apologies for waking you, but I….need you to see something.” He spoke softly.

Asgore stepped out of bed. “Very well.” He grumbled. “I trust that it is important.”

Gaster smiled awkwardly. “It very much is, your majesty.”

     After entering the lower floor of the Lab, Asgore stood still, disbelief covered his face. As he looked down at the two humans, he stuttered out the question Gaster was waiting for. “W-Where d-did you find them?!”

The skeleton sighed and told the truth. “In the Ruins. I was extending the Core to power Toriel’s home. Forgive me for my dishonesty.”

Asgore wasn’t angry, he knew Gaster had reasons for everything he did. “It’s alright, my friend. I’m not upset.” Asgore spoke softly.

Gaster explained what he wanted to do. “If it’s okay with you, your majesty, I wanted to try something different here.”

Asgore let out a shaky sigh. “Explain your plans…” The scientist stepped off to the side and gestured to a small machine that was nowhere near new. Asgore recognized it, widened his eyes and furrowed his brows.

“Wings, no. That thing almost killed you the first time! If your adult soul was almost destroyed in it, what makes you think a child's soul could handle it!?”

Gaster stepped back a bit when Asgore raised his voice. The monster had never yelled at him before. Was that genuine concern in his tone?

“I-I-I-Um-” Gaster stuttered. He actually thought Asgore had forgotten about that. It was a long time ago.

Asgore turned his head away. “I-I’m sorry for my outburst. Please continue.”

The skeleton shook his head a bit and looked back at the small contraption. “I had made some adjustments since the last time it was used. I refuse to use necromancy again, as you recall, and this machine is a perfect substitute. I believe their souls will be unharmed in the transformation.” He smiled. Asgore smiled too, but it fell.

“I know you have reasons for everything, a-and I don’t mind what you want to do here, but I just, um, want to know...why? Why do you want to turn them into Monsters?”

Gaster looked towards the humans. “....After Asriel and Chara, you know, it’s been pretty lonely…” He smiled a bit. “I miss them running in and out of the Lab, asking hundreds of questions, trying to take stuff without me noticing…”

Asgore turned to look at the scientist. Gaster placed the souls in the container on top of the machine. He casted a small amount of magic on top of the container and waited for a moment. Asgore noticed, but kept quiet about it for the moment.

When the magic charged, he hovered his hand above the lever before speaking again.

“...Well, this may be a bit blinding, so don’t look at the humans directly, alright?” Gaster requested. Asgore nodded.

He pulled down the lever, causing the tables that the humans were placed on the light up. As Gaster said, it was blinding. The souls were still attached to the human’s bodies, and as the souls were shocked, the bodies experienced the same feeling. About 10 seconds in, the eldest human’s eyes flew open, with a blue aura surrounding them. The younger had a similar reaction, except the aura was a bright orange.

Fascinating. The scientist thought. Did his soul react the same way all those years ago?

The skin, meat, and muscle on the human's bodies begin to fade, revealing the skeleton underneath. Gaster was shaking with excitement. This was going smoother than he anticipated. The humans seemed to move slightly as if their minds were trying to regain consciousness and control of their bodies.

Soon the machine began to power off, signaling that the transformation was complete. They should awaken any second.

Asgore finally spoke. “Why did you cast a spell on the souls?”

Gaster shifted his standing position. “I noticed bruises and wounds that were older than others. Some were clearly done by other humans. Whatever caused them harm and ultimately flee from their home doesn’t need to be remembered.”

Asgore moved to the other side of the room. “I see. You are a good man, Gaster. I know they will like you. What will you call them?”

This question stunned the scientist for a moment. Names. They wouldn’t remember their names, and he had to give both of them one. He doesn’t know anything about them. How was he supposed to name them?

Asgore chuckled. “What about something similar to yours?”

For once, Asgore had a good name idea. Gaster thought. Maybe.

The two men were interrupted by a clanking noise behind them. The eldest child was awake and obviously confused. Gaster gasped, rushing over to him.

“Uh, greetings child! I am W.D Gaster, and I will be your caretaker! You are….” Gaster thought this over for a moment. “You are Sans. Sans the Skeleton.”

‘Sans’ stared up at Gaster before looking around. Before Gaster could say anything else to him, the smaller one grabbed onto him and pulled at his pants leg. The scientist attempted to stifle a laugh to be ‘professional’.

(The fact that Asgore didn't really care about professionalism in the workplace always seemed to escape the scientist every time the King told him.)

“Heh..you are…” The skeletal man thought hard. Why was naming something so difficult? This is why he doesn't name his inventions and simply labels them with numbers-

Then it hit him. “Papyrus,” Gaster said softly, picking up the smaller child. The boy didn't say anything, but his small mandible was morphing into a smile as his little hands grabbed onto the scientists face with a soft ‘clank’.

Gaster burst into laughter.

Asgore couldn’t help but chuckle. He hasn’t seen such a wide grin on Gaster’s face before in a long time.

Gaster pulled a box out from the closet in the room. Inside were outfits made for his lab students. He thought the two could wear these until he could get them a proper wardrobe. All he really cared about was getting them out of the torn and bloody clothing they were currently wearing.

“Sans and Papyrus.” Gaster thought aloud.

“I like it,” Asgore commented. He stepped closer to the scientist and spoke softly, almost a whisper. “I know there’s not enough room in the Lab to keep them. There is an empty home in Snowdin we could set up for them.”

“We?” Gaster questioned.

“Yes, we. I’m not going to let you try to figure out parenthood by yourself, friend.” Asgore laughed. “The most you know about raising a kid is protecting your machines!”

The scientist chuckled and elbowed the goat monster playfully before looking back at the newly made skeletal children.

As Sans and Papyrus took the clothing to go change into, Asgore placed a hand on Gaster's shoulder.

“Promise me something, Wings,” Asgore said, in a stern tone. “Do not let your work get in the way of those two boys. The Underground is my responsibility, but so was Asriel and Chara. I tried to spend as much time with them as I could. Those boys are no different to you. I know you take your job very seriously, but you have them now. They are also your responsibility. Will you do that for me?”

Gaster looked away for a moment, then nodded. “I will, your highness. I promise.”


	7. Deep Sea Knights

     Gaster tried to spend as much time with Sans and Papyrus as possible. He wanted to be a good parent, similar to Asgore and Toriel. He would let them play in safe places around the Lab, stay in the castle with Asgore, and let them ask as many questions as they wanted, just like Asriel and Chara did before. Asgore suspected he was trying to fill the gap they left behind. Those two really did leave a mark on the Underground. Unfortunately, not all holes can be mended.

Sans was exceptionally smart, Gaster noted. He was very enthusiastic about being in the Lab and wanted to help with everything. Gaster allowed him to assist with smaller, safer things; like grabbing tools, machine parts, blueprints or ingredients. When Sans discovered he had powers by accidentally lifting a stack of research notes, it didn’t take long for him to learn how to use them. He even figured out how to suspend himself in mid-air. Gaster was impressed. Papyrus, however, hasn’t shown that he possesses magical ability yet.

Papyrus was almost completely the opposite of Sans. He didn’t take much care in scientific studies and preferred to play games, put puzzles together and draw absolutely anything that comes to mind. Gaster knew he had to have other talents, specifically with magic. If he studies what Sans can do, he could possibly learn.

Or he may not even be able to use magic.

That was highly unlikely, though. Almost every Monster has some form of magic they can use for defense. Then again, his sons were not born Monsters. This will be an interesting observing experience. They have only been around for about a year now, but Gaster has already discovered so much about them.

~

  
     It wouldn’t be long before others found out about the children. Gaster knew the secret would escape the castle eventually. Asgore was busy one evening, and asked Hydra, General of the Royal Guard, to deliver papers to Dr. Gaster for him.

Hydra accepted it, exclaiming it was “his duty as the General to assist his king with anything he needed”. Hydra took his job seriously. He avoided foot travel and used the elevator from the Castle to the Lab. Hotland was absolute Hell for aquatic Monsters.

Hydra knocked on the Lab doors. After a moment, he heard a young voice from the other side, followed by Gaster's.

“Dad, someone’s knocking on the doors!”

“Hold on, Papyrus.”

Hydra had never been so confused in his life.

‘Since when did Doctor G have kids!?’ He thought. ‘Since when did he have a wife!? Since when were there other Skeletons!? Were they even Skeletons!? How do Skeleton’s even-’

His curiosities were cut off by the doors sliding open. Dr. Gaster faced him, a slightly annoyed look on his face.

His expression changed once he saw the other man. “Oh…Hydra. Good to see you again. How may I help you?” The scientist asked the sentence dragged with a sort of irritated tone. Gaster was busy at the moment. Visitors are unwelcome. Hydra was oblivious to it.

A good attempt at sounding friendly always fools Hydra. It wasn't that Gaster hated the man, not at all, Hydra was a nice guy, but he could be a bit obnoxious sometimes. Eccentric. He should know Gaster's schedule by now. But they were still friends, regardless.

“Uh,” Hydra held up the papers, awkwardly. “His Majesty asked me to send these to you. He’s been busy as of late, and, yeah.” Hydra chuckled.

He continued to look over the scientist’s shoulder at the two young Skeletons, still boggled by it. Gaster took the papers and read over them.

“Is something bothering you, Hydra?” Gaster asked, not really as a question since he already knew the answer.

“Um, well,” Hydra tried to fake a smile but looked stupid doing it.

Gaster moved away from the doors, allowing the fish-like monster to come into the Lab. The scientist walked back over to his desk, sitting the paperwork Asgore sent to the side for a moment so he could finish filling out the papers he was already working on. Hydra stood beside him, looking over at the youngsters.

“Where’d you, uh, get the punks?” Hydra asked with a slightly disturbed look. Those thoughts were still running through his head.

He needs to get out more.

Gaster looked up at him. It was surprisingly entertaining. Though it might just be because it’s Hydra asking the question.

“I found them.” Gaster started. “Probably orphaned.”

He lied. Only because Hydra wouldn't understand. Gaster didn't blame him. Maybe it was best if he didn't, anyway.

The two boys were paying them no mind. Hydra’s expression changed in almost an instant. He looked a bit shocked. “Just two random orphaned Skeletons? Whoa. Did you bother to figure out where they came from?”

“No.” The scientist bluntly stated. Hydra smiled toothily. His eyes shifted to the side, and he began to ramble quickly.

“Figured. Anyway, um, so, since you have them now, I was wondering if-”

“No.” Gaster stated once more. Hydra’s expression twisted into an upset glare.

“Ugh, come on, G. She has no one to play with! The other kids are scared of her and-”

“Maybe because you started training her since she was able to hold a spear and made her think it was okay to harass and beat on other people because it's "practice.” Gaster interrupted.

He really didn’t want to hear it. Hydra was a cool guy, but he's a terrible father. While Gaster was inexperienced in parenthood himself, he knew better than to let a 10-month-old hatchling throw spears at targets. Of course, it wasn’t really his fault. He didn’t exactly have a partner to help him. It's not his wrongdoing that his partner, his helper, his wife, was gone.

At that moment, Gaster realized he and Hydra had more in common than he thought.

“Buuuuuut G!” The other man whined. “I promise I’ll keep her under control! She’s 9 now, and understands right from wrong! Mostly.”

The scientist put a bit more thought into this. He didn't know their exact ages, but Sans was around 8 when he fell, and Papyrus was at most 4. It had been about a year, so would Sans also be about 9? He didn't know their birthdays, and the best he could do was assume. If Undyne and Sans were the same age, then that would be a bit better, he supposed.

“Fine. We will visit you and Undyne in Waterfall sometime tomorrow.”

Hydra made a Glasgow grin and let out a loud, and annoying, victory “YES!”

Gaster chuckled as Hydra left the room with a smile across his face.

He hasn't seen the man so happy before in a very long, long time.

~

     Gaster arrived at Waterfall the following day, holding Sans and Papyrus’ hands.

“So, who are we going to go see again, pops?” Sans questioned.

“The General of the Royal Guard, you saw him in the Lab yesterday, has invited us over.” Gaster explained. “Be careful around his daughter, Undyne. She can get pretty carried away, alright?”

To be honest, he really didn’t want to. Hydra was his friend, a good friend, but recently, the doctor had been quite busy. He had tons of work to do, but he also wanted to stay on good terms with the General. Hydra had been his enemy once. Gaster remembered those days. He'd rather not bring back bad blood. Thousands of years after, Hydra still mourns the war and everything that came from it. Gaster knows he's still haunted by it. He'd do his best to help when he could. Maybe now was a good time to let Hydra confide in him.

     Ahead, Hydra was beckoning them to come to the far side of this gigantic cave. Gaster sighed but complied. He wasn’t sure if he had been to this part of Waterfall before.  
Inside the cave was a plethora of glowing flora that illuminated it quite nicely. Small flowers that, once you get close, seem to whisper something back at you. Despite everything else, the one thing that really made Gaster stand in awe was the giant waterfall located in the farthest part of the caves. How could he have never seen this before? The scientist made a mental note to come back and explore later. Without Hydra knowing, of course. And to keep the boys away from it. Potential hazard.

A little ways from the waterfall was a stone table with benches. Gaster took a seat, while the two boys ran up to a fish girl about the same height as Sans. Hydra sat across from his older friend.

“Do you think they'll get along? I hope they do. Undyne hasn’t had someone to play with in a while.” Hydra admitted.

Gaster believed the situation little Undyne was in was upsetting, but Hydra could only blame himself. It wasn't that Undyne was mean, she's just “training to be a guardswoman like daddy.” She wants to be strong, but beating other kids with wooden swords isn't a good way to make friends.

"They'll be fine." The skeleton responded. "You needn't worry, Hydra. The children are smart. They know better." Gaster clasped his hands together and glanced at the aquatic monster with a solemn expression. "I know you're struggling once again, my friend. Care to confide?"

     While the adults were talking, Sans and Papyrus approached Undyne, who was playing inside a fort she made out of rocks and small boulders. She added a flag at the top, with a poorly drawn fish on it. She exited the backside of the fort and ran up to the boys.

“New recruits for my guard? I’m Undyne, Empress of this castle!” Undyne declared. It seems she was straight to the point.

“Haha, just kidding.” She laughed, holding out her hand to Papyrus, then Sans. “But really, if you want to play along, get a weapon from that toy pile over there! You’ll be my guards, and I’ll be your captain!”

Sans looked over at her after grabbing a styrofoam battle axe. “I thought you were Empress?”

Undyne laughed, then winked. “I’m both!”

Sans rolled his eye sockets. Papyrus dual wielded two swords, the best combination for protecting your Empress and Captain, he supposed. He thought Undyne was pretty cool.

As the little game went on, Undyne ended up betraying her kingdom and guardsmen, and they fought to the death! Undyne won, but only by chance! The eldest guardsman swore he would avenge his kingdom, and take his rightful place as King. It was quite an interesting game. Sans eventually got bored and went to find something else to do. Like, catch glowing frogs or something. Papyrus stayed with Undyne and chatted.

He liked her.

“Your father trains you to be a guardswoman?” Papyrus questioned in disbelief.

“Yep! He says I will be Captain just like he was once, and mom too, when I get older!” Undyne beamed.

Papyrus became curious about the previous Captain. Obviously, her father was General right now, but when was her mother Captain?

“Undyne, if you don’t mind, where is your mother?”

Undyne’s cheer fell in almost an instant. She should have expected this question. Why was she getting sad? There’s no need for that.

“She, um, how do I...” She never met her mother. There was no need to cry or anything like that. This saddened her. “She was killed by humans in the war. She was Captain when Monsters were still on the surface, but left the role to daddy when she was pregnant with me. I don't really know what she looked like exactly, just from what daddy told me. She had deep, gray-blue scales, fiery red fins, red eyes, and sharp teeth. She also had lots of scars. Daddy says she was already very pretty, and the scars made her prettier.” Undyne grinned at the last sentence.

Papyrus noted that her description of her mother was similar to her own appearance. He turned over to look at her father. Hydra had white fins, no hair it seemed, unless you consider the fins running down his head "hair", turquoise scales, Jade eyes, and very sharp teeth. Undyne seemed to be a combination of their features. Papyrus felt like he learned something about genetics, but had no idea what genetics even meant, really. Something he read in his father's Lab books.

“You’re pretty, Undyne.” Papyrus said happily. He’s never experienced loss, but he knows it must hurt a lot. He had to say something to make her feel better! And, he's not lying. He thought she was very, very pretty. Undyne wiped her face and hugged the skeleton. “Thanks, Papyrus...” She muttered quietly. He was her best friend. The only best friend she had, she thought, and only just met him. Funny how it works.

Papyrus he was gonna tell Gaster about it.

~

     Undyne didn’t want them to go. They had such a good time, she believed. She's never been able to get anyone to stay that long. Papyrus said that he would tell his dad to bring them back one day, maybe next week. She understood. Their dad was the Royal Scientist and didn’t always have free time. Well, neither did she. She had to train, of course. Right now though, she had to think about what to play when her best friend comes back.

Maybe they won't play at all and could go inside and tell stories. She wanted to ask Papyrus if he wanted to join the Royal Guard with her. They would fight by each other's side. It would be like mom and dad, minus all the gross romantic stuff.

Undyne just wanted someone to spend time with.

She wondered what stories Papyrus had to tell.


	8. Answer Please

     “Anything else, Dr. Gaster?” The spider woman questioned.

“They should be in bed by nine, okay? Oh- Undyne and Alphys might stop by to play, as well.” Gaster added.

This is a difficult thing to do, but he can’t have Sans and Papyrus running around while this next project is going.

Tuffet gave a questioning look. “Isn’t Alphys one of your students?” She asked.

Gaster sighed. “I told the guardians of each of my students the situation. If I wasn’t going to let my own children in the lab assist this experiment, why would I let anyone else’s?”

Tuffet nodded. “Well, if there will be more children around, I will have to bring my own!” She laughed. “Muffet is always looking to make more friends.”

The scientist gave a warm smile. Sans and Papyrus came downstairs. The eldest of the brothers grabbed onto Gaster’s pants leg.

“How long will you be gone, dad?” He asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

“Until this project is complete. Don't worry, my sons. I will visit when I can. Hydra said he would bring Undyne over when he could. Alphys’ parents should be dropping by. Mrs. Tuffet said she would bring her daughter, too.”

Tuffet smiled at her mentioning. The two skeleton brothers hugged their father as he turned for the door.

“Don’t worry, Gaster sir. I will keep them on schedule!” Tuffet beamed happily, as the door began to close.

Sans turned to look at Mrs. Tuffet when she left for the kitchen. He didn't feel comfortable around her. He didn’t know why. She was very nice and friendly, but he couldn't stay around her very long.

He wanted his dad to stay, but he was needed at the Laboratory. Sans knew it was important if he had to be there. He was sure.

~

  
     About a week into the project's development, Gaster called to see how things were going with Mrs. Tuffet.

“Hello, Dr. Gaster! I was wondering when you would call!” Tuffet cheered, cleaning the kitchen with the phone in one hand, sponges and spray bottles in all five others.

“Are they behaving?” Gaster questioned.

Tuffet giggled. “Gaster sir, you don’t have to worry about their behavior! They are your kids, after all. Naturally, they would be well behaved.”

Gaster smiled at her comment. “Where are they now?” He asked.

“In the living room, playing board games. I brought Muffet over today, and Hydra is here as well with Undyne. Terra and Jurrarble brought Alphys. It’s almost like a little party!” Tuffet giggled happily.

Gaster’s smile faded. A party? He wasn’t even there, and his friends and acquaintances decided to have “a little party” at his home. How nice.

“Gaster sir? Are you there?”

The scientist shot back out of his thoughts. “Ah, yes. I was just looking over some...notes. Well, everything seems alright. Tell Hydra I said hello. Good day, Mrs. Tuffet.” He hung up with a sour tone.

Gaster didn’t dwell on it. He had to return to the project, anyway.

~

     The first call was the last. Tuffet hasn’t heard anything since then, and the boys were getting restless. She had tried to call several times but never got a response. She was starting to worry but didn’t want to disturb him if he was busy. She decided to wait and see what happens.  
Months passed. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he okay? Sans is getting really upset, and Papyrus keeps asking questions. Tuffet was getting scared. She started to call at least five times each day. She hoped one of his partners would answer, at least, but no one did. What were they working on, anyway?

~

     Asgore sat alone, drinking tea. It was a little late, but the beauty of the Surface’s moon made up for that. It shined so wonderfully into the tower windows. Asgore ceased his admiration when familiar footsteps rang across the castle floors. Without looking at the skeleton, he responded.

“If you want me to observe the progress of your machine, Wings, it can wait.” The footsteps stopped. “I told you an hour ago to get some rest. You clearly ignored me.” Asgore took another sip. “You’ve been doing that quite a lot, lately.”

He sat the cup down. “When was the last time you called Mrs.Tuffet? Talked to your sons? Socialized with anyone besides your assistants? You haven’t come to spend breakfast with me in quite some time. When was the last time you’ve eaten?”

The king patiently awaited a response but didn’t receive one. He felt the air get heavy.

“You promised me, Wings, that you wouldn’t let your work get in the way of your family. Should I consider that a lie?”

Still no response. Asgore was starting to get irate.

“Answer me, Wings.”

The anger in his voice was light. Asgore doesn’t usually get angry. It was pretty hard for him to. He showed true anger when his children died, and that was several years ago. Family means so much to him.  
Moments pass and Gaster was still unresponsive. He didn't know what to say. This project, this machine, he was so close, they were so, so close…-  
Asgore was steaming. He was upset. The goat monster jumped out of his throne, twisted around and grabbed onto the skeleton scientist's shoulders. Gaster flinched.

“W.D. Gaster. As your king, I demand you to answer whenever I ask you questions!” The king roared. He pushed that little incident aside, though, and moved onto the real problem.

“Why won't you take care of yourself!? You have pushed everything else aside for this project for far, far too long! I will not accept this! I will not stand around and watch you drag yourself across this palace from a lack of sleep! Not here, not in my palace, and not anywhere else if I see to it! You will obey my orders because it is for your own good and you know that!”

Asgore’s voice was harsh but deeply caring. The skeletal scientist was stiff and wincing, refusing to look him in the eye. Asgore quickly let go of him. He tends to forget how much smaller other monsters are compared to him.

“I apologize for raising my voice, but I felt I must put my foot down.”

Gaster stood on one knee, looking down.

“I am at fault, Your Highness. I’ve disobeyed your orders, I’ve neglected my own health, forced my assistants into unblinking labor, and ignored my friends and family. What is my punishment?”

Asgore sighed. He disliked punishing citizens, scorned it. He certainly wasn't going to punish his best friend.

“I'm not punishing you, Wings. I've yet a reason to truly do so. Just…” Asgore waved his hand.

Gaster stood up, taking the gesture as a signal to leave.

It's not what Asgore meant, but, “Dr.-.....Wings...go to sleep. We will see about that project later, okay?”

Asgore sent him home to Snowdin. He wasn’t going to allow him to stay up all night again.

~

     Gaster sluggishly opened the door to his home. He quietly stepped in and closed the door, trying not to wake Mrs. Tuffet, who was asleep on the couch. The skeleton man slowly walked up the stairs, moving down the hall and gently opened the boys’ bedroom door. The both of them were asleep, too, cuddled together, snuggling. Gaster softly smiled and closed the door quietly. He entered his room, closed the door behind him and removed his lab coat.  
The scientist laid on his bed, letting his thoughts wander until he fell asleep.

He was so new to this parenting thing. He was just so busy. He wanted to get the monsters back to the surface, and he is almost complete with the project he's worked on since the monsters were pushed Underground! He was so, so close, but…

He cared about them, he really did, but he has a job, too. He has a job that requires much attention. He loved his sons, but he just couldn’t be there all the…..

He can't call every….

He knew the dangers of working them too hard, but they…

He didn't want to let anyone down, but….

….


	9. Liar

     Gaster woke up late the next morning. It was 10 AM. His eye sockets slowly opened to the sound of laughing and a few thumps on the wall. Did they know he was here? The skeleton rolled out of his bed, sighing. It was rare that the Royal Scientist himself was ever late to check in. What would Asgore think? Surely he would let this small mistake slide. It only happened once before. Gaster yawned at the thought. He was still tired. If he could, he would have slept in longer. The scientist grimaced, pulling a white sweater over his ribcage. Why would he think of such a thing?  
As he descended downstairs, a loud crash sounded from the living room. Suddenly, two young voices yelled,

“Daddy!”

Once the skeleton reached the bottom of the stairs, the said children hugged onto their father’s long legs.

“We were wondering when you’d finally wake up!” The eldest, Sans, said cheerfully.

Gaster looked confused. “How did you know I was here? Did I wake you last night? I apologize-”

Sans chuckled. “No, dad, you're such a dork. You didn’t wake us. We felt you here this morning!”

Felt-? Oh, of course. The souls. Certain monsters, usually Boss Monsters, can sense when another monster is near. Every monster’s soul has a unique energy given off from it. Children can easily identify their parents and siblings' energy, just as a monster can identify their mate’s energy. When the boys woke this morning, they must have sensed him. That, or Tuffet did and told them. If the two did sense his energy, then they must be growing into their powers quickly. The thought unsettled the scientist.

“Are you going to stay for breakfast, dad?” Papyrus asked.

Oh. He didn’t think about that.

“Um,...” Gaster started.

“Yes, he is.” Tuffet answered. She smirked and looked directly at the man, crossing her arms and cocked a hip. “His Highness dropped by early this morning, and told me to not let you leave until I felt you could.” She winked. “I cooked a nice breakfast and you will join us. I promise it’s worth it.”

Tuffet stepped over and took Gaster’s hand, leading him into the dining area. The scientist sighed but smiled. Maybe a small break was fine.

~

     The break actually ended up lasting months. He called in often to see how his assistants were handling the project. Gaster didn’t want them messing anything up while he was gone.  
At the time of his break, Gaster did get to spend time with his friends and family. He celebrated “Fallen Day” with his sons. Since he didn’t know their birthday, he decided to celebrate the day Sans and Papyrus came from the surface.  
Later that month, Gaster received an important phone call from one of his assistants at the Lab. Tuffet allowed him to leave.

 

~

     Gaster entered the Laboratory quickly. His assistants were already making adjustments to the machine and greeted the Royal Scientist when he entered.

“Doctor Gaster!” An assistant shouted, running up to the skeleton. “We’re finished with it! Everything looks good, all trigger points are functional, every lever has been oiled, and every wire is intact.” She declared, as professionally as possible. “Do you wish to begin? Do you want us to get His Highness?”

Gaster beamed. After months and months of preparation, it was complete. The pathway to breaking the Barrier.

“Yes and yes. I’ll be down in the lab chambers with everyone else.”

The assistant nodded and sprinted away to the Palace. Gaster took an elevator down to the chambers, filled with excitement.

“This is it…” He said to himself. “This could change everything.”

Asgore entered the chambers hastily, the assistant leading him to the machine’s location. Deep within the winding hallways, behind a large sealed door, it lied. A gigantic, circular creation resembling an animal's skull. Two containers stuck out the side of it, for something to be stored within. Asgore was more than confused. He never stepped foot inside of the Lab chambers. He didn’t even know that the lab was this deep! He wondered what the scientists did down here. He knew Doctor Gaster had a history of...doing questionable things…  
Asgore decided he didn’t want to know. The mentioned scientist began to approach the king. Asgore greeted him.

“Doctor, one of your assistants informed me that the…experiment was complete and that you wish to present it.”

Gaster said nothing but nodded. He turned and lead the goat monster to get a better view of the machine. One assistant entered the chambers from an alternate doorway. In his hands, he carried a jar. Inside was a human soul. Asgore’s eyes widened once he noticed it. The king gasped. Anger and fear mixed within him. He quickly turned to his Royal Scientist in disbelief.

“What is going on?! Answer at once! How did your-”

Gaster quickly cut him off.

“Sire, calm yourself. The news that Hydra had killed a human that entered Waterfall didn’t get past us. One of my assistants informed me, knowing that we needed a human soul for the project. We didn’t want to ask you directly. It would spoil the surprise. So, before Hydra delivered the soul to you, I told him to bring it to me immediately. Of course, he did question me about it, and I said it was extremely important. Forgive me for my dishonesty to you, your Highness.” He spoke the last line with no emotion as if he didn’t care if Asgore was upset or not.

Asgore stiffened. He knew Gaster lies sometimes, but usually, he does for the better. This, however, was different. He did this behind Asgore’s back. He manipulated the Captain of the Royal Guard to steal a soul that rightfully belonged to the king. What did this thing even do? Was this for the better? He didn’t know the answers. He just hoped Gaster knew what he was doing.

Gaster moved over to the machine, using his magic to remove the soul from the jar and placing it in one container. The same assistant opened a large freezer that sat on the far side of the room. He took another jar out. Inside was a preserved monster soul. The king turned away, sickened.

“....Why? Where...Where did that come from? Why do you...need it for this?”

The assistant answered this time. “Relax, your Highness. Just an elderly fallen monster from New Home. No one important.”

This was sickening. Asgore began to question if these monsters had any morals at all.

“As for why we need it,” Gaster began. “Powerful soul energy is required for this. How much exactly is not yet known. Think of this as a test. If this amount of soul energy doesn’t work, we can just add more souls until we spike the meter.”

Gaster placed the soul in the separate container. Asgore grimaced. This was awful. There had to be some other way to get this energy than taking fallen monsters and human souls, right?

“Aren’t you happy? We’ll be free soon, your Highness.” One assistant cheered. “We’re happy. You should be, too.”

The monster had a sinister look on his face. Agore turned away, glancing to Gaster. The skeleton was focused, with an upturned, dark smile. It wasn’t new. Asgore and Toriel were both aware that their friend had a darker side to him. He dabbled in rather questionable things in his previous life.

Questionable, evil things.

After getting his new job as the Royal Scientist, Asgore thought this side had disappeared. The monster king realized he was wrong.

Asgore watched as Gaster casted a spell on the machine. It was a heavy Shock Control spell. Those that were fighting against others, or that practiced, electromancy would use this to protect themselves from its power. Why would he cast it on the machine? After a few moments, Gaster pulled the lever. Sparks flew across the room as the machine made an ear-tearing, wailing noise. The souls jerked in the containers, trying to get free. The king covered his eyes as a blinding light emitted from it. Assistants ran around the room, pushing buttons, pulling levers, and typing into computers, trying to calm the energy levels being released.  
Gaster walked over to the generator that many wires were connected to.

If I lower these levels, he thought. It might lessen its power.

Gaster reached for the dial. His attention was cut from it when one assistant yelled,

“It’s spiked!”

Papers, books, pencils, and other materials began flying around the room, several sucked into the machine. Gaster’s eye sockets widened in realization of what had happened.

They created a black hole.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Turn it off! Turn it off before we all get sucked in!” The head assistant shouted.

This was bad. Important documents full of notes were being taken into that thing.  
Where were they being taken to? Where did it go? None of these questions mattered right now. Get yourself focused.

Gaster pulled at the container, trying to remove the human soul from it. It was stuck.

“Doctor, move away from the portal! We can find another way to turn it off! Being that close is dangerous!” An assistant called to him.

Gaster let go of the container, moving away, then felt his feet slowly rise from the ground. The skeleton fell forward, crashing onto the ground. He was now quickly being pulled toward the portal.

“Doctor Gaster!” The assistants shrieked.

Asgore rushed forward, grabbing onto the scientist’s arms. His claws dug into the scientist's lab coat. He began to pull the skeleton away from the portal.

“Turn this thing off!” Asgore shouted at the assistants.

“We’re trying, your Highness!” One responded as she clicked away on a computer.

Asgore gripped tightly onto the smaller monster and tried to pull away again. Gaster hissed in pain. The energy was getting stronger. Asgore couldn't pull back anymore.

Pulling back could cause Gaster to rip in half.

He could only move forward.

“I’m sorry, your majesty. This was a failure.” The scientist whispered.

Asgore’s vision blurred as misty tears welded in them. He turned to see if those assistants were making any progress with turning the machine off. They were running around like lunatics. Some were saying it couldn’t be turned off, others said it won't.

He felt the energy tighten and moved a few inches forward.

“I got so caught up in this, and it became a waste of time. I sat everything else aside for this stupid experiment. Why did I think this would even work? I’m not as good as I used to be, Asgore. I should have tried to do this a long time ago. I should have…”

Asgore faced his friend. “Don’t say things like that, Wings.” He softly said. “You are a fantastic scientist. Something went wrong, yes, but accidents happen.”

Asgore moved a few more inches forward. Gaster closed his eye sockets as he felt the energy beat down on his legs.

“This, I’m afraid, is an unfixable accident, my friend.” Gaster murmured.

The tears that built finally fell down the King's face. “I’ve lost both of my children….”

Asgore moved forward a few more inches.

“My wife….”

And again.

“And now...”

Again.

“My best friend…”

Asgore held on tighter. An assistant called from across the room.

“The power has to drain! There is….nothing we can do…..”

The assistants all looked to see what was about to happen. Gaster’s feet were touching the black hole, the gravity trying to pull him in. His eyes shot open again as the pain ran through his body. Oh god, it hurt so bad.

Gaster's soul, a beautiful shade of violet, burned brightly beneath his ribcage. For monsters, that was a bad sign. It was casting the shadows of his ribs on his coat. The pressure being put on his body was too much for the soul. As violet tears ran down from Gaster’s eye sockets, his soul burned. It was a warning.

“Asgore...you have to let me go!” Gaster whimpered. “Please.”

The goat monster’s grip loosened. He didn't want to. He didn’t.

“I don't want to be alone, Wings. I can’t deal with that. You're all I have left of the past.” Asgore cried.

“I know, Asgore, I know, but you have to.”

The gravity pulled harder. His legs were about to snap.  
Asgore loosened his grip a bit more.

“Asgore, you have to let go.” Gaster choked out. Asgore didn’t move. “Asgore, it hurts! Please let me go!”

The king loosened his grip again, but before he finally let go, he cried a request.

“Lie to me…” He started, “Lie to me and say you’ll come back later…”

Gaster gave a painful smile, and whispered, “I’ll be back later, my friend. I don’t know when, but I promise I’ll come back.”

Asgore let go.

~

     As she was reading on the loveseat, Tuffet jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. Who would be up knocking on doors at this hour? The spider woman slowly moved to the door, opening it.

“Oh!” She gasped, then bowed in respect. “Your highness, what…” She studied his face. “Your highness, what happened? Why have you been crying?”

Asgore closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Mrs. Tuffet, I...unfortunately must inform you that…” The king held back tears once again. “Doctor W.D. Gaster….has fallen.”

Tuffet covered her mouth, shocked. “No..No.. your highness, I’m so sorry...W-What happened?” She asked.

“It was an accident in the Laboratory.” Asgore confessed, as best he could.

Tuffet looked down. “What about Sans and Papyrus? I can’t babysit them forever. I have a family of my own to take care of. How am I supposed to tell them their father is dead?” Tuffet questioned.

They were just children.

Asgore frowned. “I don’t know, Mrs. Tuffet.” He turned away. “Sans is about 10, right? From what Gaster told me, he is very mature for his age. Perhaps he could care for Papyrus himself, and you could stop by each week to check on them, bring them what they need?”

That sounded awful. He wanted to take them to his castle, but he couldn’t. He has no one to help him care for them. Asgore would have loved to be a godfather.

“I’ll inform the town of Snowdin that Gaster has fallen, and his children need someone to care for them.”

Tuffet nodded and went inside the house to get her things. Asgore left for the Town Hall.

Tuffet entered the living room where Sans and Papyrus were playing a board game.

“Boys...could you come sit down on the couch for a moment?” She called.

The two young skeletons plopped down on the couch, looking at her quizzically.  
Tuffet shivered. She really didn't want to do this. “Sans, Papyrus...your father…has fallen.”

Papyrus quickly had orange tears running down his skull. Gaster explained what falling was to him before. He understood, but it still hurts. He wailed. He wailed so loud. Papyrus buried his face in his scarf. Sans said nothing, the little blue tears building at the end of his eye sockets spoke for him.

“It was an accident in the Lab…”

Tuffet felt evil. She doesn't like this. She wants to take them with her, but she can’t. She doesn’t have enough room in her home for them. Hopefully, someone in Snowdin can help.

 “I will come every week to give you what you need.” She said. “Sans, take care of your brother, okay? That’s an order from King Asgore...and Gaster. They both want you to be strong.”

Sans glanced over to her.

“There is an Ice Block factory up the road that's hiring. They make blocks and send them down into Waterfall, so the water doesn’t get too hot from Hotland's lava temperatures. See if they will let you help there. They might give you some gold."

With that, she left.

~

     Sans sat on the couch, cradling Papyrus. It hurts. Why does this pain feel so familiar?

Suddenly, Papyrus stopped crying. “You okay, Paps?” Sans asked.

“I’m fine...why?”

Oh no.

“Brother, are we going to finish the board game?”

~

     Asgore was near the Town Hall when he stopped. What was he doing again? Ah, yes. He just finished talking to that friendly spider woman, and was going to inform the Snowdin's Circle about the orphans in that old house. It’s a shame. There are so many orphans all in the Underground. He was sure that there were more in the other Underground monster sanctuaries as well.

~

     Sans went upstairs to Gaster’s bedroom after finishing that game with Papyrus. He opened the door. All of his belongings were still there. Sans gathered them all up and placed them in a box. If the entire Underground was forgetting his existence, he wanted to keep as much of his father with him as he could. Next, the Lab.  
Sans wanted to keep his progress with him, too. He said he would teach him all that he knew.

And if Sans knows everything Gaster did,

He would know exactly how to bring him back.


	10. Epilogue

     Gaster wiped away purple tears. He leaned back into the couch, laying his hands on his lap and letting out a deep sigh.

“But that’s all in the past. I’m here now, thanks to Sans and Alphys. I can’t be any more grateful.”

The scientist smiled, looking over to his son and former student.

“Without your knowledge, doctor, we probably wouldn’t be able to do what we did. We had to rebuild and turn that machine on again…” Alphys paused.

Sans continued for her. “It was rough but successful. No big deal.” The young skeleton smirked.

Alphys glared daggers at him. Sans knew how difficult it was. Without proper precaution, and if Gaster didn’t exit that warp in time quick enough, the two of them would have been sucked in as well. It was extremely difficult on Alphys’ end, as she was managing the controls. Even though she majored in mechanical science, the way Gaster programmed the machine was not only unique but unfamiliar to her.

  
Sans laughed. “I’m playing, Alph.”

The lizard woman ripped the pillow that Undyne was chewing on from her mouth. Undyne and threw it at the skeleton playfully. “We’re supposed to be professional!”

Undyne shot her head around to Alphys. “Alphys! First, that’s not very professional, second, that’s mine!” The fish woman hissed.

“No, actually it’s not.” Alphys responded back. Sans threw the pillow back at Undyne.

“Yeah, actually it is. I wouldn’t want it back knowing her slobber and teeth marks decorated the thing.” Sans chuckled.

Undyne grinned. It reminded Gaster of Hydra. They had the same face, it seems.

Undyne stood up, looking over to the old skeleton. "It's really confusing how that sciencey stuff works, ya know? I knew you, but at the same time, I didn't. Now that you're out that black hole Doc, I remember you, but that may just be because you told me? I dunno..." Undyne scratched the side of her head. "Stuffs giving me a headache." Her attention was taken by her phone buzzing in her pocket. She grinned. "It's my old man! Gotta go!"

Alphys quickly followed behind. "Wait! Undyne!"

The scientist watched the two girls run out of the house. He felt a change of weight on the couch and turned to see Sans sitting next to him.

"I'm just glad to have you back, old man." Sans spoke. Gaster patted his shoulder.

Asgore lifted himself from the floor. Toriel followed, gently placing Frisk on the chair nearby. Kris ruffled her hair, smiling.

Just as Gaster stepped up from the couch, Asgore placed his hand on the smaller monster’s shoulder.

“Looks like you didn't lie after all, my friend.” He mused.

“Even I’m surprised.” The skeleton responded.

From behind, Toriel embraced the scientist, resting her head on his back. “I’m so sorry, my friend. I was unaware of your struggling and troubles. It was ignorant of me to stay in the Ruins. I should have left to come see you. My deepest apologies, really. Please forgive me.”

Gaster patted her hand. “Now lady Toriel, there is no need. All of this is in the past. We are beginning our new lives here on the Surface. We can put all of this behind us.”

Asgore joined the hugging, feeling left out. Gaster sighed, then smirked.

“While this is nice and friendly, the two of you know damn well I’m not a hugging person. My children are an exception.”

Asgore huffed, while Toriel pushed the skeleton playfully.

The front door opened, Papyrus stepping through with grocery bags in tow. He glanced around the living room.

“Well, what kind of celebration are we having here? Had I known we’d have a house full, I would have got more stuff!”

~

      Toriel held a small party that night at her home. Not really a party, more like a get-together, at least that's what she called it.

Everyone was doing their own thing.

Frisk and the other children were watching movies in their room while the adults and teenagers stayed downstairs. Some were probably drunk.

Hydra, in particular, was probably the most interesting out of the bunch. He didn’t slur words as most do, Gaster noted. In fact, he talks normally, but with more nonsense and speed added to it. The topics change extremely quickly.

  
Hydra spotted the scientist and wobbled over to him, placing his hand on the scientist's shoulder to keep himself from falling.

“Aw man, G. You have no idea-”

Gaster hushed the fish man. “I might have an idea, Hydra.” He laughed.

Hydra grunted but wasn’t angered. Suddenly uninterested, he wobbled away, babbling more nonsense. The only thing Gaster heard was something about a fish stick and eating fish sticks. Cannibalism? The skeleton became uninterested with the crowd as well and went upstairs. Finding a hallway, he moved down it and up more stairs. Above this flight, a single hallway stood. One door was on the left, and double ones straight ahead. Gaster didn’t bother with the single door and left to exit out the double doors.

~

     Toriel and Asgore’s home was a mansion, with a lovely view of the city if you stood on the main balcony. The scientist observed the festive activity.  
All the cars moving so quickly through the light of the city’s buildings and poles, honking at one another as if it was its own language. The blinking signs of various different stores, restaurants and other services all offering their own significance.

In his previous life, the most you got out of a balcony view from a two or three-story house was of the village or town. Nothing really interesting unless you were in a larger settlement. The way the surfaced developed since the monsters were gone was so fascinating.

  
…

  
His attention was cut off by the doors opening and closing again.

“Dad?”

“Oh, Sans, hello.”

Gaster felt a bit awkward. He wasn't sure why quite yet.

“I, uh, what are you doing out here?” Sans asked. It obviously wasn’t the question he was searching for.

“Observing…or admiring.” The scientist answered.

Sans rolled his eye sockets. He chuckled. “So, uh, I wanted to ask you something…”

Now he knew why. “What is it?”

Sans looked away. This probably wasn't the best time to ask. Ruining the mood. But it's been so long. Can't blame a guy for having an important, long-standing question that's scratched his cranium sore since he was a dead prepubescent child.

“Where did you go? And why didn’t I forget?”

“What do you mean?” Gaster questioned. Did he…?

“I know you didn’t die. After you disappeared, everyone forgot about you. Literally. But I didn’t. I knew something was up.”

Gaster rubbed his sockets. Sans continued. “I took as many things of yours as I could. It wasn’t until we got to the surface that I figured out Alphys had the rest. It took a lot of convincing to get her to help me.”

Sans was persistent.

Gaster inhaled then exhaled slowly. “When you hear the word “void” what do you think of?” He asked.

Sans furrowed his brows. “Um…darkness.”

“Yes. That is where I was. Darkness. But that is not all. I saw many things. Too many to explain. Maybe I could tell you about some of my favorites later. I don’t have that many interesting things to tell about it in general.”

Sans wasn’t entirely surprised. His dad was so easily fascinated by things. He was pretty sure he had thousands of notes on the things he saw there.  
He had something else to ask.

“Where..." Sans paused for a moment. “Where did Papyrus and I come from?”

This was it. The question he never wanted to hear. Gaster swallowed hard. Sans spoke again. “Whenever Frisk took us to see the shooting stars, we passed by a house.”

Gaster listened closely.

“The house was old, falling apart and covered with vines and weeds. The lawn was overgrown. It looked like something from a horror movie, really, but whenever I looked at it, my head began to throb. Pictures of a human woman with wavy black hair and dark blue eyes popped into my head. My soul began to freak out.” Sans gestured to his ribcage.

The scientist held his own hands together, exhaling slowly.

Sans was stern, but his eyes said differently. Pleading. “Tell me what this means. I’m curious, and a bit scared.”

The older skeleton placed one hand on the balcony railing. “I don’t know where you came from exactly, Sans. You and your brother, you two fell from the Surface to us. To the realm of monsters, like meteors, crashing into the Underground with a bang. That’s all I know, I’m afraid. I’m sorry.” He explained the best he could.

Sans looked down at the streets. That didn’t give him anything to work with.

“However,”

Sans looked back at his father.

“You had something heavy on your back.”

~

     The two exited from Toriel and Asgore’s home and returned to theirs.  
Sans followed Gaster as they entered his room. Closing the door behind him, the older skeleton man opened his walk-in closet and pulled out a large navy blue backpack.

“I never opened it.” Gaster started. “I didn’t want to. It felt wrong, for reasons I can’t exactly explain.”

Sans took a deep breath, his hands trembling on the zippers as he tried to open the bag. When he did, he began to pull each individual item out.

  
The first few were clothes, a hairbrush, toothbrushes, toothpaste, medicines, and other self-care items. Almost everything came in doubles.

“Man, I’m always prepared, ain’t I?” He commented.

The next caught his attention. A small plush robot. Three of the shirts had the same character on them.

Sans stayed silent for a few seconds.

“This belonged to Papyrus.” He started. “Boy was obsessed with this thing. Always had to come home to see if a new episode aired.” He chuckled.

That damn robot. He couldn't go anywhere without it.

He sat the small plush toy to the side. Sans then pulled the last item out of the bag.  
A small book. The owner's name wore away so bad it was unreadable.

  
Opening it, Sans finds pictures. The first two were the largest ones in the whole book.  
On the left, A smiling woman with black hair and blue eyes stood next to her blonde-haired and blue-eyed husband, with their young son standing in the middle, black-haired and blue-eyed.

They all looked happy.

On the right, the same woman stood, this time with two children, The eldest stood next to her as she held the younger, brown-haired and amber-eyed.

They seemed a little happy.

The bottom of the page had neatly written words.

“My family.”

Sans held in as many emotions as he could.

This was his book, and even after all the things She had done to him, he didn’t tear her out of this book.  
Sans flipped through the pages. It was a custom picture album. He gently closed it.

“Sans…” Gaster said softly. “Cry if you need too. It’s not good to hold emotions in.”  
The young skeleton let the blue tears run down his face. He sobbed.

It hurt. His soul hurt.

This wasn’t the normal pain he would feel after all those nightmares, no. This is a different pain. This pain was worse.

It hurt so bad.

Gaster placed the items in the bag and stored them back into the closet. Closing the door, Gaster returned to his son, embracing him.

“I know it hurts, son. I feel the same way when I think about my past. We all must deal with this.”

Sans gripped onto Gaster’s coat.

“Our pasts are dark sometimes. Things have happened that we regret, had no control of, or simply despise. We must move on. It is the best way to work through life. if not, we will sulk in our pain, and never move away from the things that hurt us. Instead of building ourselves up from it, we let it cage us.”

Gaster closed his eyes.

“Do you understand”

Sans nodded, then whispered, “Yeah."

Gaster freed his arms from around Sans, wiping the younger’s tears away.

Before anything else could be said, the door opened.

“Sans? Father? Why did you leave the party so early? Ms. Toriel didn’t even get to serve her butterscotch-cinnamon pie-...Sans, were you crying?”

Papyrus stood in the doorway, genuinely concerned.

“Um...no.” Sans lied. Papyrus stepped into the room and tightly hugged his older brother.

“I honestly have no idea what I missed, but if it made you cry I know it was bad, brother.”

Gaster smiled, and so did Sans. Papyrus was always such a sweetheart.

“But we must return! Ms. Toriel is eager for everyone to try her improved recipe! Especially you, father. She says she has improved much since the last time you had it!”

“Eh, alright. Never turn down free food.” Sans beamed.

Papyrus led the two out of their house and back to Toriel’s. Gaster followed quietly.

Sans thought about everything he just re-learned about himself, his brother, and his father. He knows once they return and settle down, their friends are going to ask questions. Maybe the questions will help jog his memory more so he can learn other things.

Like their previous names?

The young skeleton exhaled.

He Looked up to the sky, trying to calm his thoughts.

Sans’ eyes met the night just in time to catch glimpse of many stars moving across the sky.

A Meteor Shower.

The skeleton smiled.


End file.
